


No Hitter

by LemonscentedB



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Baseball, College Hazing, College student OC, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Elf Sportacus (LazyTown), Emotional Constipation, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/ Referenced Bullying, Implied/ Referenced Homeless, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, My First Work in This Fandom, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Supportive Robbie Rotten, Supportive Sportacus (LazyTown), Tags Are Hard, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, asthmatic character, baseball references, college students not knowing how to adult, i like tags, mentions of magic, parent and child need to learn how to communicate, the tags are just warnings, this is supposed to be a comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:18:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonscentedB/pseuds/LemonscentedB
Summary: Lincoln Meanswell had not seen his father in several years and though it was difficult to reach the man, he was still kept up to date through his baby cousin. Facing problems at school, Lincoln decides it's high time to visit the town he spent his early summers in. However, explaining to his dad exactly why he's there and not at school was going to be... difficult. Ignoring responsibilities and running away from his issues seemed like a good idea at first but then a certain sports elf saw fit to 'fix' his problem.Who knew Sportacus had a knack for family therapy?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own LazyTown or any of it’s characters. Just Lincoln. Just a quick OC story that popped into my head after rewatching a few episodes. I loved LazyTown as a kid so I figured why not xD  
> I’m not planning on this fic to be very long nor am I planning on writing any romance. Though if I did, I doubt my OC would be included in that. That is, unless I get a request to add it or not… I’m not even sure where this is going to be completely honest. I have the first three chapters planned but after that it’s ehh. I guess we’ll see as we go on? Or not? I don’t know.

 

_“... but you don’t know anything about raising children.”_

 

_“Ha ha! What’s to know?...—”_

 

_Lazytown; season 1 episode 1_

 

**Chapter One— Up to Bat**

 

Stephanie walked toward the town center with a huge grin on her face and a skip in her step. The eight-year-old was super excited; more so than usual, anyways. Her uncle just told her the best news over breakfast! Her big cousin, Linc, was coming to town! She hadn’t seen the elder boy since forever! She didn’t know exactly when was the last time she’d seen him but she did remember how nice and funny he was. Nice because being that Stephanie was the youngest in the family, Linc was the only one of her long list of cousins who included the pinkette in his games. Not to say that her other cousins were mean or anything. It’s just that it was hard to play with someone so much younger than them.

 And despite the age difference, the then seventeen-year-old stuck with and played with her when no one else would. He even danced with her when she asked! He was a pretty good dancer from what she remembered. They even made up a secret dance together; Like a secret handshake!

 With renewed excitement, Stephanie picked up her pace and all but sprinted towards her group of friends to tell them the good news.

 "Whoa there, Stephanie!” Sportacus called as the young girl slowed to a stop in front of him.

“Good morning Sportacus! Good morning guys!” the girl called. “I have the most amazing news!” The kids and single adult in the group grinned in excitement along with the young girl. Her happiness positively contagious.

“What’s the amazing news, Pinkie?” another little girl with her hair parted in three pigtails asked.

“My uncle said my big cousin is coming over for the summer!” Stephanie cheered.

“Really?” Stingy asked with wide eyes. “No one ever comes here!”

“Yeah! He was supposed to be here yesterday but he called and said he wouldn’t be here until today! My uncle said his flight was probably delayed but he should be here very soon!” Stephanie explained.

“That’s great news, Stephanie!” Sportacus cheered. “What is he like?”

Stephanie thought for a moment, her hand posed to her chin. She seemed to be thinking over what to say about her elder cousin before a giant grin broke out on her face.

“Well, Lincoln is very nice! He’s a lot older than me; I think he’s nineteen,” she whispered to which the other kids gasped, their eyes wide in wonder. “He likes to dance, Like me! And he likes music! He also really likes baseball. Uncle says that Lincoln was so good at baseball that someone payed for him to go to school if he played baseball for them!”

“Wow!” Ziggy shouted in amazement. “He must be really good!”

“Yeah,” Sportacus agreed, looking just as excited as the kids around him. “Getting a sports scholarship is a great feat! He must be really good if someone was willing to sponsor him through school.” 

“S-scholarship? What’s that?” Trixie asked.

“Well, a scholarship is when someone with money pays for a student, like Lincoln, to go to school if they are really good at something; like math or sports! Lincoln was able to get a baseball scholarship because someone saw him play really good in high school!” Stephanie explained

“That’s right, Stephanie! Lincoln must have worked very hard to be able to do that. Do you know what he is studying?” Sportacus said, aiming the last question to Stephanie.

“No,” the pink haired girl said shaking her head. “But we can ask when he gets here!” Sportacus laughed along with the approving cheers the kids gave.

“Oh,” Ziggy cried. “I have an idea! Can we ask Stephanie’s cousin to play baseball with us when he gets here?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, Ziggy! We could set everything up before he gets here!” Sportacus said.

“Yes but we can’t use _MY_ things,” Stingy said as he crossed his arms with a pout.

The kids all rolled their eyes but didn’t comment; all well used to Stingy’s, well, stinginess by now. Instead they all ran to their homes in order to collect the right gear in order to play the game. Though it wasn’t their first time playing baseball, the kids and Sportacus took longer than usual setting up the field. They wanted it to be just right so Lincoln would be impressed. Stephanie even went as far as digging out her pink baseball jersey and cap to wear, along with some of Lincoln’s baseball equipment her uncle said he kept safe in the attic.

It was about twenty minutes after everything was all set that the kids and Sportacus began to feel angsty. Even Pixel, who arrived a little later was starting to get bored, though he also looked very sleepy but no one commented on that. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the sound of a running engine grew near. Everyone jumped to their feet in excitement as they watched an old van slowly pull up in front of the mayor's house. Even from their position on the field, the kids and Sportacus could hear music blasting from inside the car and out of the open windows.

_“Whenever, wherever_

_We're meant to be together_

_I'll be there and you'll be near_

_And that's the deal my dear—”_

Stephanie grinned at the voice that sang along with the loud music before sprinting home, ignoring the calls from behind her. The girl laughed in excitement as she neared the vehicle, her eyes shining as the music was cut off and a person in similar height of the town’s resident hero climbed out of the open car window.  

“LINCOLN!”

The person, a male teenage boy with curly orange hair and dark sunglasses turned to the direction of the shout before breaking out with a similar grin and opened arms to catch the pink whirlwind.

“ETCH-A-STEPH!”

* * *

 

    Driving for three days straight was exhausting. The last pitstop he took was about eight hours ago and his tank with nearing empty. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the teen’s bladder. Lincoln was honestly surprised the old Volkswagen made it so far. He was immensely glad that it seemed like his baby was actually going to make it the whole way and though the lack of cool air conditioning, full bladder, and empty tummy was torture, he couldn’t help but feel excited. 

After all, it had been years since he visited his father and the sleepy little neighborhood.

Checking the rearview mirror, Lincoln hastley fixed his curly orange hair over the left side of his face and adjusted the dark sunglasses that sat on his nose. He even checked his teeth for any bits of food. He wanted to look presentable after all. Lincoln took a cautionary sniff of his underarm, holding the steering wheel awkwardly with one hand to do so, and blanched at the immediate stench of strong B.O. So much for presentable.

Thinking over his situation, Lincoln quickly pulled over to the side of the road and shut the engine to his van off. He couldn’t just show up at his dad’s house as is. He wanted to spend time with the man, not gas him out in his own home. With a sad sigh, Lincoln pulled out a worn map from his glove compartment, taking care to shove the random junk he shoved in there before throwing open the giant map. The darn thing easily blocked the whole front window of his car, the edges even going as far as sticking out his open windows.

He still had a few miles to go before he would reach the town. If he kept going at his pace, Lincoln would arrive in under half an hour. Which wasn’t very long considering the drive so far but to Lincoln it felt like ages. He was tired of sitting all cooped up in the driver's seat. His bones ached and his backside was numb. Figuring that a small break wouldn’t hurt too much, the teenager packed up his map and jumped out of his van. He didn’t bother trying to open the door as he knew the thing wouldn’t budge. Instead, the teen climbed out of the window; rather ungracefully too as he fell unceremoniously onto the pavement below him.

After stretching out his sore limbs, the teen leisurely walked over to the back of his van and flung open the trunk doors. There the young man rooted through his mess of belongings before pulling out a few water bottles; some opened and halfway gone and one or two completely full. Though he felt guilty wasting drinking water, there was no other choice than to use it to freshen up.

The teen glanced around the empty street before pulling off his orange baseball jersey and throwing the soiled clothing into the fray of random belongings. His dark brown shorts followed shortly afterwards. Changing and showering in a locker room with a bunch of other boys his age made Linc change his view of changing where others could see him. Thankfully, however, Lincoln did have some sense of modesty and kept on a pair of spandex he usually wore under his shorts; that and a white wifebeater.

Quickly unscrewing all the water bottles, Lincoln took his time to wash away all the grime that he had collected during his three day venture. Using a bar of soap from his sports bag and a not-as-dirty t-shirt he pulled from his pile of laundry. Most would say the mess in the back of his van was… impressive to say the least. Luckily it didn’t smell as bad as it looked and to Lincoln, the mess in the back of his van was his home. And bed as of the last few couple weeks.

Feeling that his body was clean enough, Linc glanced at the remaining amount of water and figured it would be more than enough to wash his hair. Linc removed his sunglasses carefully and sighed in relief as he the lukewarm water fell over his head and face. As much as he yearned for a real shower, this was the next best thing with all things considering. Now smelling dimly like a piña colada, Linc used another semi-clean t-shirt to dry himself off.

The life of a true college student at it's finest, really.

Lincoln wasted no time redressing in his cleanest clothes; yellow t-shirt with a picture of a green pineapple on the front, a similar pair of brown shorts he had worn earlier (only cleaner), and his second favorite baseball jersey (they were all the same, honestly. A orange a few shades darker than his hair, striped vertically with a lighter orange along with the number ‘17’ in white on the back. It was his second favorite out of the identical five because it wasn’t as soft or vibrant than his preferred shirt.)  As the teen began to clean up around the back of his van a bit before securing the back doors, he wondered briefly if he could purposefully shrink his shorts a few inches around the waist area as it was bit looser than he liked. Shrugging his shoulders, Lincoln rubbed his damp hair with a t-shirt before carefully replacing his classic aviators back on his face.

Lincoln pouted slightly at the driver side door before kicking it lightly. He would have kicked it harder but the flipflops he was currently wearing offered no protection for his tantrums. He learned that the hard way... over the course of multiple days. Now that his hair was mostly dry and back to its curly state, Linc threw the thoroughly wet shirt onto the passenger seat before throwing his body headfirst through the window. It took some adjusting, his elbows and feet accidently hitting the car horn several times before he was finally seated properly. The teen then quickly threw on his seatbelt and started the van before turning his attention back to the rear view mirror in order to fix his hair and give the engine some time to warm up.

Though he still looked a bit disheveled, Lincoln felt better than he had since he began his trip. So with that in mind, the teen took the car out of park and resumed his journey. With every passing moment, Lincoln began to feel more and more excited to visit the sleepy town. It had been years since he last stepped foot in Lazytown. Once upon a time, Lincoln would visit his dad as a kid every summer. Though that came to an end once he turned ten and his mother decided to send him away to summer camp instead. Ugh. Summer camp was the worst. Honestly, it was more like a boot camp made to torture dorky kids with bad lungs.

Linc shook those memories away for the time being; He didn’t like to be reminded of those summers. To distract himself from those negative thoughts, Linc switched on the van’s radio and turned the music up to the loudest setting. The generally easygoing teen grinned and bopped his head to the beat of the song, the happy intro lifting up his spirits easily. The teen tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, counting down in his head before singing along with the radio.

Though Lincoln didn’t know all the words to the song, he tried his best to keep up with the singer on the radio. Given that he was currently the only driver on the road, Lincoln figured there was no harm in only having one hand on the steering wheel. (Which is totally unsafe.) The teen danced along to the song, copying the moves he distantly remembered the singer do in her video. He did look rather silly as his free arm was flapping around randomly out the window but with no one around to see him, Lincoln could care less. Though to be fair, he still would have done so in the middle of heavy traffic.

In the middle of the song, Lincoln eyed a small sign on the side of the road and grinned happily over the blaring music.

‘Welcome to LazyTown!’

He made it.

Lincoln couldn’t help but bounce in his seat as he pulled into the small town. The last stretch of road was in a straight line with nothing to look at but trees and grass. Seeing something other than green was a huge relief. Everything about LazyTown looked the same as it had when he was a kid. Same bright and cheerful house surrounding the town hall seating right in the center of the town. Lincoln remembered spending a lot of time in there with his father. Though boring when he was a kid, Lincoln felt a bout of nostalgia just looking at it.

Lincoln continued to sing along to the radio as he drove slowly in the roundabout. He didn’t see anyone on the streets but he needed to be careful for anyone walking on the streets. Especially the local kids his baby cousin told him so much about in her emails. They seemed like a lively bunch if her writings about them told him anything.

Now safely parked in front of his father’s home, Lincoln quickly shut off the engine and carefully climbed out of the van. Almost immediately, a vaguely familiar voice shouted his name.

“LINCOLN!” the teen heard someone call from behind him. Turning curiously, Lincoln gaped at a small pink child running towards him. His confusion didn’t last long as his brain finally put together exactly who the kid was.

“ETCH-A-STEPH!” he cried as he opened his arms just in time to catch the young girl in his arms. The teen pulled her into a strong hug, actually lifting the child off her feet as he spun around with the little girl laughing in his arms. “I missed you so much, miss bubblegum! And wow, dude! You got so big!”

“You too! You got taller!” Stephanie said laughing as she was finally set down so the elder of the two could see her properly. “And you cut your hair! I thought you said you would never cut your hair.”

“Ha! Yeah, my hair was too big to keep under my helmet. Plus,” Lincoln paused as he leaned close to Stephanie in order to whisper something to her. “There was this girl on campus who said she liked boys with manageable hair.”

“Eww,” Stephanie squealed as she pushed her cousin away with a laugh.

“Just kidding, baby cousin. Long hair is gross after baseball practice,” Lincoln then looked down at the petite girl with a smirk. “Super sweaty.”

“Eww! Gross!” Stephanie cried as she laughed along with her elder cousin. Before she could say anything further, Stephanie noticed her cousin’s attention drifted away to something behind her. Glancing back, the girl grinned when she saw her friends making their way to them, Sportacus doing his usual flips and cartwheels along the way. She glanced at Lincoln and giggled at the funny expression on his face as his eyes tracked Sportacus.

“Is that really necessary?” Lincoln muttered only loud enough for the girl standing beside him to hear. Stephanie only snickered before waving ecstatically to her friends. Lincoln watched in bemusement as the small group finally made it to them. He smiled down at the kids before looking at the only other adult present. The man, Sportacus (his pointy mustache and interesting arrival was a big giveaway), stood in the typical super-hero pose; hands clenched at the waist, back straight, chin up, and dazzling smile.

“Hello,” the man said with a thick accent Lincoln couldn’t place. “I’m Sportacus.”

Lincoln stared for a moment before glancing back at Stephanie with a raised eyebrow. Not even a second later, Lincoln winked at his cousin before spinning in place and posing with a clenched fist in the air and the other at his waist.

“Hello, Sportacus,” Lincoln said, his voice playing deeper than normal. “I am Lincoln,” He finished as he hopped in place and striking another pose, this time with one hand outstretched in front of him and the other bent at the elbow and hand flat hovering over his shoulder. “It is nice to meet you.”

Lincoln heard a snicker in the group of kids and spotted a tiny thing of a girl trying to hide her laughter behind her hands. Lincoln grinned and waved at the girl, finally dropping the ridiculous poses to address the other children in front of him.  

“You must be… Trixie? Right?” The little girl gasped, her laughter subsiding.

“Y-yeah! How’d you know?” She asked.

“I know everything,” Lincoln said dramatically as he wiggled his fingers in front of his face. He then snickered and shook his head. “Nah, Etch-a-Steph told me all about you guys. I recognized you from the emails.”

“Do me next,” a little blond boy shouted as he jumped up and waved his arm above his head.

“No, do _Me_ next! _”_ another little boy with a bowtie said. Lincoln grinned a little at the adorable kids before nodding and pointing at each child.

“Cape. Candy. Adorable,” Lincoln said pointing at the youngest child. “You’re Ziggy.”

“You’re right!” Ziggy cried in amazement.

“Smartly dressed; rather dapper. Neat hair. Adorable,” Lincoln said as he pointed to the next kid in line. “You must be Stingy.” Stingy huffed and nodded but smiled all the same.

“Awesome hair color. Cool tech. Adorable,” Lincoln continued on. He laughed a little when he noticed the kid startle a bit when he realized he was being spoken to. “And you must be Pixel!”

“U-um y-yeah!” Pixel cried as he nodded his head furiously. Lincoln grinned before turning back to Sportacus who watched in unveiled amusement.

“And of course you’re Sportacus,” Lincoln finished. “Stephanie told me all about you dudes.”

“Did she call us all ‘adorable’ in those emails, too?” Trixie asked her mouth pulled into a smirk.

“Nah. That was an observation,” Lincoln replied. “All kids are adorable, that is, until they turn twelve,” Lincoln shuddered.

“Well, I can’t say I understand that,” Sportacus said with an easy going smile. “But welcome back to LazyTown, Lincoln.”

“Thanks, man. It sure is good to be back,” Lincoln grinned as he shook the man’s offered hand.

“Hey, hey, Lincoln?” Ziggy called around the taffy in his mouth. When he had the chance to shove that in his mouth without him noticing was beyond him. “We were wondering if you wanted to play with us at the park today.”

“Yeah, Linc!” Stephanie cried in glee. “We set up for a game of baseball down at the park!”

“Baseball, huh?” Lincoln pretended to think for a little before smiling at the group in front of him. “That sounds like an awesome idea.” The kids cheered, even Sportacus looked excited.

“But,” Lincoln said, drawing out the word.

“But?” Stephanie repeated.

“But I need to go find dad and tell him I’m here first,” Lincoln said with a smile. “That and I have been driving for eight hours and I really need to visit a restroom.” Stephanie and the kids looked at him with wide eyes at the prospect of being holed up in a car for so long. Sportacus even grimaced visibly at the idea of being cooped up in such a tight space for so long.

“O-of course,” the man said. “I think the Mayor is with miss Busybody at the moment helping her with chores.”

“Aunt Bessie!” Lincoln cried in happiness before falling into peals of laughter. “Dang. Dad is _still_ doing chores for aunt Bessie even after all these years. Wow, some things truly don’t change,” the teen said shaking his head before pulling Stephanie into a half hug.

“I’m going to run over to aunt Bessie’s place to say hello real quick and I’ll meet you guys at the park once I’m done,” Lincoln said to the group as he pulled out a lanyard with a set of keys from the van’s open window and sticking the keys in his back pocket.     

“Ok, Linc,” Stephanie said with a smile.

“Do you need one of us to walk you to miss Busybody’s house?” Sportacus asked just as Lincoln turned to jog away.

“Nah, dude,” the teen called back as he turned his head to face them. “I remember where it’s at. Thanks though!” He called as he turned back around and sprinted towards miss Busybody’s home. He couldn’t wait to see his dad. He hadn’t seen the man in over two years! Plus he was super excited to see his honorary auntie.

As Lincoln ran past the city hall, he noticed a strange man laying on one of the benches that littered across LazyTown sleeping. Or at least trying to sleep. Slowing to a stop, Lincoln watched in fascination as the man tossed and turned on the bench before rising at an unseen disturbance. The man raised his arms, swatting at something Lincoln couldn’t see from his position. Now thoroughly curious, Linc trudged closer, hoping that the unknown male wouldn’t notice him creeping up on him.

Now close enough to see a bit better, Lincoln couldn’t help but snicker quietly as he realized what was bothering the other so much. Seems like the other male attracted an annoying fly if the buzzing noise was anything to judge by. Lincoln watched as the man seemed to fight the tiny insect using the trash can lid as a shield before somehow knocking the little thing into the trash can where he then slammed the lid down and sat on the thing as though the tiny insect were strong enough to push the lid off on its own.

Now unable to hide his mirth, Lincoln roared in laughter as he clapped for the man.

“You won!” he cheered. “You sure showed him who's boss!” The man jumped up from his seated position on the trash can lid and whirled around to face him. A deep blush of embarrassment covered his face as he scowled irritably at the now snickering Lincoln.

“...and who exactly are _you_ ,” the man sneered. Lincoln slowly got over his laugh attack and waved his hand at the angry male.

“Name’s Lincoln,” he said as he finally had a good look at the scowling male. Angry eyebrows. Slicked back hair. Scary frown. “And you must be Robbie Rotten.”

The man, if possible, scowled further as he snatched up his bright orange pillow. “And how did you know that?” he growled.

“My baby cousin told me about you,” Lincoln said undeterred by the man’s hostile mood. “Recognized you by your eyebrows. On fleek, dude,” he said throwing up both thumbs up at Robbie. The man seemed to get angrier with every word that left Lincoln’s mouth though the orange haired young man was undeterred. That and he was terrible at reading people’s mood.

“Anyways, it was nice to meet you, man. I gotta get going if I wanna make it to the game,” Lincoln said as he shot Robbie a smile. Lincoln then started to walk away before he turned back to the other male. “A few kids and this dude Sportacus and I are gonna play some ball at the park in a bit. If you want you can totally go and play with us if you’d like. With me playing, the teams are gonna be uneven.”

“There is no way I’d ever _play—,”_ Robbie spat before continuing speaking, “ anything with Sportaloser and those brats.”

“Whoa, bitter,” Lincoln said in astonishment. “That’s cool, dude. But if you ever change your—”

“Leave me _alone,”_ Robbie growled as he shoved pieces of fur in his ears before dropping his pillow back down on the bench and laying back down. “I just want to _sleep._ Is that too much to ask?!”

Lincoln walked backwards, quietly watching the angry man before shrugging and turning back around towards miss Busybody’s house. Some people were just not people persons.

 


	2. Strike One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where dinner becomes awkward and some confessions come out. 
> 
> Also, can anyone tell me how to post pictures in chapters? I've seen it done before but I can't figure it out.
> 
> Update 2/15/17: Went back and changed Lincoln's major to better fit the plot.

**Chapter Two— Strike One**

Aunt Bessie’s house was exactly the same as when he was a kid. Lincoln didn’t expect the huge wave of nostalgic relief that hit him as he drew nearer. The young man grinned as he picked up his pace towards the cheery little house and actually jumped over the gate to enter. Lincoln was about to run up to the front door when he heard a voice come from the backyard.

“Oh, Milford,” a woman’s voice rang. “Dear please do be careful when you trim those hedges. We did work so hard to get them just right and I would hate to have to restart.”

“O-of course, miss Busybody,” another voice called back fearfully. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Lincoln practically vibrated as he tore through the front yard and into the back where the two adults jumped in alarm at his sudden presence.

“Dad!” Lincoln called as he practically jumped into his father's arms for a hug. Lincoln had alway been the affectionate type but something about this embrace seemed off, almost desperate even. However, if anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything.

“Oh my,” Milford cried as he staggered back a few steps due to his son’s sudden weight. Luckily he had dropped the shears when he heard the boy shout. The man returned the hug just as tightly before pulling away, holding the teen at arms length to have a good look at him. There didn’t seem to be many changes to the teen since he last saw him. He may have been a little taller than before but he looked the same. The same dopey grin, dark freckles scattered across his cheeks and nose, and same curly hair, only much shorter on the sides than he remembered. “Lincoln! You’re here! And you cut your hair!”

Lincoln laughed at his father’s surprised tone. He knew he would comment on it but he was glad his dad didn’t sound upset about it. The undercut was a surprise to him too but hey, at least it looked good on him.

“Yeah, I know. Do you like it?”

“It suits you,” the man admitted with a chuckle. “I just never thought I’d see the day you would willingly cut your hair. Why I remembered all those times we practically forced you into the barber's chair when your were young.”

Lincoln smiled at the memory but before he could comment, another voice cut in.

“My lord, is that Lincoln?” Lincoln grinned and turned around to face Bessie Busybody.

“Auntie Bessie,” Lincoln crooned.

“Still the little heartbreaker I see,” the woman giggled as she pulled him into a hug.

“And always will be,” he agreed. Once free from the woman’s grasp, Lincoln took a moment to glance around the well taken care of yard before turning his attention back to the two older adults in front of him. "Man I sure did miss this place." 

"When did you get here, my boy?" Milford asked.

"I just got here actually. I already met up with Steph and her friends, they actually invited me to a game of ball in the park. Anyways, I hope you don't mind I parked my van in front of your house, dad. I can move it if you want." 

"Parked? No that should be fine but I thought you were taking a plane to LazyTown?" 

"Eh, I was planning on to but there was a limit to the amount of carry on bags I could take so I decided to drive instead," Lincoln admitted as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "The trip was fine at first but after the first day I was exhausted." 

"I'll bet," Bessie said worriedly. Lincoln smiled at the woman, waving off her worries before taking out his phone from his pocket and glancing at the time. It was only mid morning but Lincoln still felt incredibly sleepy. However, as much as he wanted to lay down and nap, he promised his baby cousin he'd play baseball with her and her friends and he'd feel like a right jerk if he didn't comply with their wishes. 

"I really hate to cut this short but I did promise Steph a game and I really don't want to keep them waiting." 

"Of course not, Linc," his father agreed wholeheartedly. "I was a bit busy here as well. We have all summer to catch up and I propose a nice family dinner tonight to celebrate your arrival. And of course you are invited as well, miss Busybody." Lincoln grinned and nodded his consent before saying his farewells. The teen turned and took a few steps away from the two elder adults before he suddenly paused and glanced at Bessie and then to the ground, his face red in embarrassment as he asked the woman if he could use the bathroom before he left.

Lincoln walked towards the park instead of running this time. He was excited to see his baby cousin again but he was rather tired as of late. Plus, if he was going to play baseball, then he needed to slow down a bit and keep up his energy. He knew his limits and didn't want to worry the kids if his lungs started acting up again. Lincoln finally turned the final corner and spotted Stephanie and two of the kids he met earlier along with Sportacus with some baseball equipment. He noticed that they seemed to be talking about something so he sped up a little just in time to hear the last bit of the conversation.

"... when I get enough sleep, I can even learn whole new sports." Lincoln gaped at the baseball that tore threw the air after Sportacus' hit. The air it caught was pretty impressive given that the man had pitched the ball to himself. Lincoln doubted even he could do that and he's been playing since he was Stephanie's age.

"Dude..." Lincoln started as he jumped over the low wall and walked towards Sportacus. "That was incredible."

"Oh hey, Linc!" Stephanie shouted as she waved at her elder cousin. Lincoln smiled back at the tiny girl and waved as well before turning back to Sportacus.

"Seriously, man! Have you played pro before?"

"Professional baseball?" Sportacus said with a laugh. "I have not. This is actually my first time playing." Lincoln shook his head in amazement before running towards the bag of equipment he saw in the corner of his eye. He picked up a spare ball, bigger than the ones he usually played with, and turned back to Sportacus.

"Mind if I pitch one to you?" He asked. Sportacus smiled and readied himself. Lincoln drew in a deep breath and toyed with the ball in his hand. He wanted to see just how good the other man was but he figured since it was his first time playing, it would be unfair to throw anything other than a fastball. He would try other pitches later. With a grin, Lincoln stood in a wind-up position, standing with his stride leg behind his other leg, and went through the familiar motions before he hurled the ball towards Sportacus.

The ball whizzed towards the other man, practically a blur to anyone watching it before a loud 'CRACK' filled the park. Lincoln watched in fascination as the ball took off, easily going twice, no, three times as far as the first ball. Once it was out of sight, Lincoln along with the three kids watching ran towards Sportacus each shouting their appraisals.

"Dude!" Lincoln shouted with a beaming grin. "That's amazing! Coach says it's high impossible to hit one of my fastballs and you knocked it right out of the park. Literally!"

"Yeah, Sportacus! you're really good!" Stephanie agreed.

"Thank you! It was very fun!" Sportacus replied.

"Nah man, you know at first I thought you were super weird but anyone who can hit like that is okay in my book!"

"Lincoln!" Stephanie gasped as she lightly slapped her cousin on his arm.

"What?" Lincoln cried as he rubbed the stinging part of his arm.

"That's rude!"

"But it's the truth?"At the stern look the little girl was sending him, Lincoln turned back to Sportacus his shoulders drooped low before muttering an apology. "Sorry for saying you were weird."

"And?" Stephanie urged.

"And for teasing you earlier."

"And?"

"And for being rude to you after you were so nice to me."

"And?"

"And? And what, woman?" Lincoln cried as he spun to face the little girl who giggled in her hands. "I just got here so there is no way I could have gotten into anymore trouble already! do you want me to confess to stealing his car or something?" The kids and Sportacus laughed at the young man.

"It's quite alright, Lincoln," Sportacus said as he laid a firm hand on his shoulder. "I know I can come off as a bit... Odd." 

"Not that it's a bad thing, man. You're cool but it's just that i've never seen someone who, well, got around like you do," Lincoln said, a light blush covering his face. "Can you teach me how to do that, by the way? I can barely do a cartwheel without falling on my butt." 

"Of course! I'd love to help." 

"...Like a puppy, I swear." Lincoln muttered with a small grin. The two adults then continued to talk amongst themselves, both seeming to grow more and more engaged to their current conversation as words were exchanged. It made Stephanie happy to see her two favorite people get along so well. She had to admit to herself that she had been a little worried on how the two would act towards each other. She knew her cousin could be a bit brash and tended to say things without thinking most of the time. It would have been just terrible if Lincoln and Sportacus ended up not liking each other. Though her worries proved to be unfounded as it turned out that the two seemed to get along splendidly.

"So your crystal thing beeps to tell you when someone is in trouble?" Stephanie heard her cousin ask in awe.

"That's right! Then I do anything I can to help."

"So you're like an honest to god superhero!"

"Well, more like an above average hero."

"Dude," Lincoln said as he shook his head in awe. "That's sick."

"'Sick'?"

"'Sick' as in cool, bro."

"Ah, ok!"

"Hey guys!" The eldest of the group paused in their conversation and the group turned towards the direction of the shout. They looked at Pixel and the contraption the held him up with raised brows. "Check this out! I call it the remote controlly SixThousand!" 

"...Is this normal?" Lincoln muttered in concern but he was ignored by the Stephanie and Ziggy as they approached the other boy and his machine.

"What do you think of that, huh?" Pixel said beaming at the attention he was getting, particularly from his baby cousin. Lincoln hummed as he stepped back and crossed his arms with a grin. From the looks of it, Pixel seemed to have a tiny crush on the pink haired girl. A part of him wanted to pick up his baby cousin and run far away from LazyTown and it's inhabitants but the other part of him, the stronger one, found it incredibly cute. He glanced at Sportacus to see if he noticed the little interaction but the man only looked concerned at the machine holding Pixel up.

Right, weird machine hooked up to a eight-year-old. He could think on the crush situation when Pixel wasn't a puppet.

"—It can make me play whether I'm awake or asleep!" Pixel said with excitement.

"Huh," Lincoln muttered as he peered at the machine closer. "Does this work on a classroom setting too? Wait, no. Nevermind, my professors didn't even allow laptops." Seeing a look sent his way by Sportacus, Lincoln quickly shook his head and looked back at Pixel. Time to adult. "Um, Pixel?" 

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" 

"Huh? Of course it is!" Pixel said with a grin. The small boy then tapped a few buttons on his wrist computer before looking up, his eyes determined. "Pitch one in!" Lincoln looked at Sportacus who only shrugged. Sighing a little at the ridiculousness of it all, Lincoln walked back towards the sports bag to retrieve another softball and tossed it to Sportacus.

"Ok!" the man shouted as he bent down slightly. "Are you ready?"

"...yeah?" the boy said tiredly right before he fell asleep on the spot. Sportacus then round his arm back and threw the ball towards Stephanie who ultimately missed. Lincoln was glad he wasn't the one to throw the ball seeing that the force of the ball hitting Pixel's glove sent the boy flying back. Sportacus didn't even throw it all that hard. Lincoln wouldn't have had the forethought to send such a slow throw. 

"He's out again!" Stephanie cried in dismay at the snoozing boy. Lincoln cringed a little at his cousin's tone. He hated seeing her disappointed. Lincoln sighed and crouched down over Pixel's prone form; the little boy was still snoring despite the racket around him. Chuckling in amusement, Lincoln carefully unlatched the kid from all the harnesses before lifting him up and moving him away from the batting area. The young man glanced around the field for a nice place to set the kid down and ultimately decided to lean him against the low wall safely away from the game but still close enough for the others to see and hear him. Before he left Pixel to rest, Lincoln cautiously took off the face mask strapped to the kids head before setting it to the side.

Turning back to the others, Lincoln noticed Robbie Rotten had joined them at some point decked out in a baseball uniform. Heh, looks like he started a trend here in LazyTown. Lincoln sent Sportacus a confused look before walking over to stand beside Ziggy. The kid looked worried so Lincoln set a comforting hand on the blond's shoulder.

"You Robbie Rotten? But you don't like sports. Or moving very much," Stephanie said. Lincoln snickered at that and nodded his head.

"Sounds like me on the weekends," Lincoln said cause Ziggy to giggle cutely.

"I move all the time!" Robbie cried. "I can even hit the ball farther than anyone here," the man mocked as he looked at everyone pointedly, his gaze lingering on Sportacus for a moment.

"...Well then. It's not like I play at division level two or anything. That's cool though, dude. No feelings hurt," Lincoln muttered causing Ziggy to laugh more.

"Care to try me?" Robbie said as he grinned up at Sportacus.

"Well I just learned today," Sportacus said with a easy going smile before pointing at Lincoln with his glove. "Lincoln would be better." Lincoln grinned and waved at the man who only scowled in his direction before shaking his head.

"Nope," Robbie said as he moved to Sportacus' other side. "You. Now whoever hits it farthest, wins! and to make it even more interesting, when I win you leave town. Forever." The kids gasped and Lincoln jumped a little at the stakes. Wow, Robbie really did not like Sportacus, so it seemed. 

"The usual, right?" Sportacus sighed before offering his hand to Robbie. Wait, what?

"Hold up?" Lincoln shouted before marching up to the two other adults. "The usual? You're saying this happened before? You trying to run Sport out?"

"Uh, yes?" Robbie drawled confused.

"Huh," Lincoln muttered as he nodded his head. "Just wanted to confirm that. Kinda high stakes, though." The orange haired teen shrugged and watched as the two shook hands in a deal.

"Now I need someone to pitch!" Robbie said as he feigned swinging a bat in demonstration.

"Oh me! me!" Lincoln cried, jumping up and down while waving his hands. He was the best pitcher on his team! "Pick me!" Robbie gasped, his eyes widening as he made his way over to Lincoln before pushing him out of the way.

"Perfect!" he cried as he gestured to Pixel he slept soundly by the wall. "Ah, perfect! Perfect!"

"You want Pixel to pitch?" Lincoln heard himself say along with Sportacus. Though him in dismay and Sportacus in confusion.

"See you in two days, bright and early. Let's say," Robbie thought for a moment before pointing with his index finger. "Three in the afternoon." 

"That early?" Lincoln mocked whined as he watched Robbie leave. 

"Three in the afternoon is early?" Sportacus asked aloud. Lincoln snickered but quieted down when he saw Robbie return. 

"Oh and," The man started with a smirk before handing Sportacus a dark purple baseball, "Don't forget your ball." They watched the man leave the field, a happy skip in his step before turning back to Sportacus each giving the man their support.

"Don't worry Sportacus!" Stephanie said as she beamed up at him before turning to Lincoln. "We'll help you practice!" 

"Of course! We could build up your technique in no time!" Lincoln agreed.

"Yeah!" Ziggy cheered. "And we'll all get a lot of sleeping energy too! eight-oh-eight on the dot!"

"Yes!" Sportacus agreed.

"Eight-oh-eight?!" Lincoln cried in shock. "That early? Some of my classes _start_ at eight!"

"But, Lincoln," Stephanie said. "You need to sleep early in order to rest properly for the next day!"

"That's right. You get energy by sleeping." Sportacus nodded. Lincoln grimaced but kept his mouth shut. He was not about to tell them he usually got to bed way after midnight due to all the collage work he had to do every night. Plus he hadn't slept more than eight hours in the past three days due to the long drive to get here. Nope. He did not want the lecture he was sure to get if he reveled that to them.

"Oh, alright," Lincoln sighed before sending them a sad smile. "Hey do you mind if we grab something to eat before we start practicing? I'm starving."

Stephanie giggled and nodded her head before offering the young man some sports candy. Lincoln didn't ask what exactly 'sports candy' was but figured it was some type of energy bar. He really should have asked though because the orange Stephanie had plopped down in his hands was not what he was expecting. Lincoln stared down at the fruit for a long moment, waiting for someone to laugh and offer him something else but no one said anything. In fact, when Lincoln finally tore his eyes away from the fruit, the others looked at him rather expectantly.

"This," he said before pausing for moment to collect himself. "Is an orange."

Apparently Sportacus came from a far away place where fruit and vegetables were called 'sport candy.' Why it was even a thing here in LazyTown Lincoln will never know. Though he would have prefered something else, the young man was starving and he knew it would be a few hours before dinner. So with that in mind, the teen peeled and ate the 'sports candy' without complaint. Well, at least not vocally. 

The rest of the afternoon went without hassle, after they had woken Pixel up from his nap, Stephanie and Lincoln went on to teach the kids and Sportacus how to play baseball. The 'lessons' quickly turned into a made up game of who can throw the ball and make Sportacus miss. Ziggy was in the lead with two since his throws tended to fall short; of course no one was going to tell him that. 

Though it was obvious Pixel was still tired, the kid listened with rapt attention as Lincoln showed him the proper way to hold and throw a baseball. The kid didn't want Sportacus to have to leave LazyTown because of his shoddy throws. Pixel turned out to be a quick learner and managed to pick up on pitching rather quickly; though he still needed a lot of work. 

Sportacus, on the other hand was a complete natural. Every comment and instruction Lincoln made Sportacus made sure to listen. The man easily made every adjustment Lincoln would ask of him with an easy smile and nod. It honestly made Lincoln like the man even more. The young man had wondered briefly if the other male would let Lincoln teach him or if he only agreed to the lessons to appease the kids. Lincoln had met plenty of people who took offence to him teaching them correct stances, even when he was specifically there to help them learn. It made Lincoln very happy that Sportacus was not that type of person. 

In fact...

"You are so going to crush that dude in the competition, my dude," Lincoln called as he ran back to the field with his arms full of the softballs he had went to collect. Sportacus only laughed and helped the other male put away the equipment without being asked. 

"There's no doubt, Lincoln," Stephanie commented with a huge smile. 

"Well if I win we can all thank my teacher," Sportacus said modestly. 

"Yeah, let's all thank the teacher if you win," Lincoln teased. "But if you loose, I was never here." The kids and Sportacus laughed at the sudden change in attitude the young man posed. He looked very seriously at Sportacus however everyone could see the twitching at the corner of his lips. 

"Of course," Sportacus replied in mock seriousness after everyone stopped laughing. 

Once everything was put away, Ziggy and Pixel admitted to having to head home as supper time was fast approaching. Stephanie and Lincoln happily escorted the kids home along with Sportacus who revealed to Lincoln he often made sure to walk the kids home whenever possible; especially Ziggy whose parents prefered it if the young boy was not left to walk home on his own as the child tended to wander.

After the kids were inside their homes, Sportacus turned to the cousins and was about to say his farewells when Lincoln stopped him.

"Hey, dude," he called Sportacus before he was able to say goodbye. "You busy tonight? Dad said he had this special dinner tonight and it'd be cool if you came."

"Well," Sportacus started, his voice suddenly soft. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nah, man! It'd be cool! I know dad and Steph love having you around. Plus coach says team dinners bring the players closer together. Think of this as continuation for your training," Lincoln said with a laugh. Stephanie looked equally excited to have the other man over for dinner and actually bounced in place as she waited for Sportacus to answer. "Plus I always wanted to be friends with a superhero, even if you are only a 'slightly above average' one," He teased.

"Oh, alright," Sportacus laughed. Stephanie and Lincoln cheered and began to lead the man towards the Mayor's home, Stephanie pulling the man along by his arm. It wasn't long before the trio made it to the house where Lincoln asked them to wait for him so he could grab something from his van. The teen easily threw his upper body through the driver side's window and pulled himself inside. He quickly moved to the middle of the van and pulled out a dark brown duffle bag from underneath the piles of dirty clothes. After making a mental note to do laundry later, Lincoln then threw the bag out the window before following immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, this time Lincoln's shorts got caught on the doors lock which threw him off balance. However, before Lincoln could hit the floor, a pair of arms managed to catch him around his middle and pull him back up to his feet. 

"Muh hero," Lincoln gasped dramatically before smile his thanks at the other male. "Been meaning to get that door fixed for ages. I'll get around to it eventually." 

"Are the other doors broken too?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"No they still work," Lincoln responded easily. "I just feel cool going in and out like that." The young man smiled impishly at the two before adjusting his sunglasses and walking towards the front door. The orange haired teen wasted no time in entering the house and looking for his father who he easily found standing in the dining room with a hand towel in his grasp. The man turned his attention to the sudden intrusion and happily invited the newcomers inside.

"Do come in," Milford said as he gestured for everyone to come inside. "Dinner will be ready in just a moment so if you can please wash up, that would be just splendid." 

"Hey, Dad!" Lincoln said as he pulled his dad into a quick side hug. "I hope you don't mind I invited Sportacus along." 

"Of course not! The more the merrier!" The man said joyfully as he said his hellos to the other man. 

"Thank you for having me, Mayor Meanswell."

Everyone took turns washing up in the kitchen sink before settling down at the dining room table though Stephanie had to run over into her room to pull out an extra chair. Once seated, conversation went by easily as plates were handed out and glasses of water were poured. Lincoln was actually pleasantly surprised when he got the chance to see what was on his plate. As a kid, he and his father hardly ever had what people would call a balanced meal. Usually it was microwave dinners or takeout.

"Wow dad," Lincoln said with his eyebrows raised. "I didn't know you could cook!" The mayor only laughed and admitted it was a more recent talent. Throughout the clinking of tableware and bits of conversation, Lincoln noticed Sportacus' plate consisted merely of steamed vegetables and an apple that Stephanie had offered him when the food was being set down. He was going to comment on it but he lost interest in it when Stephanie asked him a question.

"Why are you still wearing those indoors, Linc?" The girl asked pointing to the aviator glasses covering his eyes. Lincoln's eyes widened slightly, going unnoticed by others, and chewed the food in his mouth thoughtfully before he answered.

"I- I, um, broke my glasses a few days ago and the lenses in these are my prescription," he easily replied before stuffing more mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"I didn't know you wore glasses!" She said in amazement. "You don't have contacts?"

"Tore my last pair." Lincoln huffed a relieved breath. At least that wasn't a lie.

"So, Lincoln," Sportacus said once their was a lull in the conversation. "I forgot to ask earlier but what are you studying?" Lincoln internally groaned and quickly shoved another forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"Oh, of course, Lincoln!" The Mayor cried as he turned his full attention to his son. "How's school going for you? Any closer to that business degree?"

"Business? How exciting!"

"Oh yes! Maybe you could put that degree to use here in LazyTown once you graduate!"

"How wonderful!" Bessie agreed before the two began to talk back and forth with potential positions Lincoln could apply for. Lincoln sunk lower into his seat as he listened to the two go on which went unnoticed to them but unfortunately Stephanie, sweet innocent Stephanie, did notice.

"Lincoln, are you alright?" she asked curiously. The teen swallowed roughly but sat up and opened his mouth to speak; however, nothing came out. The room became silent as they watched the teen imitate a fish before he finally spoke.

"Um- I actually c-changed my major," he finally bit out. "F-from B-business to- to music." Lincoln's voices and courage faded towards the end of his confession.

"That sounds wonderf—"

"You what?" Sportacus was cut off by the Mayor's shocked exclamation. Lincoln let out a breath and quickly sat up straighter to address his dad.

"I know you were so set on me following after you dad but I couldn't keep that major. The classes were dull and just thinking about going into politics made me want to throw myself off a bridge!" Lincoln said quickly. "Not that there's anything wrong with politics but I just didn't find it interesting! I dropped those classes on my first day Freshman year and took all general ed. for my first semester. It took me ages to figure out what I wanted to do and finally I decided to do something that always interested me."

"But— but I thought you liked your classes," Milford said weakly. "You always told me you did over the phone." Lincoln winced and shook his head slowly.

"I told you my classes were going fine but I never told you about the change of majors."

"And when exactly were you going to tell me?" Lincoln sat in shock at the sound of his dad's raised voice.

"W-well," the teen stuttered. "T-today?" Never in his life had Lincoln seen his dad so disappointed. This wasn't like those times when he was a kid a accidently broke a window or made a mess of things in his room. His dad was actually upset, as in for the first time in forever, Lincoln's dad was genuinely disappointed in his actions. Lincoln wilted under his dad's gaze and waited for his dad to say something. The table was awkwardly quiet, in any other circumstance Lincoln would have been giggling madly at the tension as he didn't do well with awkward but it just wasn't in him. He was afraid that something like this would happen but he didn't think it would feel this terrible.

"You thought to tell me all this years after you made the decision?" Milford asked, well, more like stated really. Lincoln looked as though he wanted the floor to swallow him whole with the current line of questioning.

"...Would this be a bad time to tell you I lost my baseball scholarship, too?"   


	3. Balk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things get bad, to worse, to just plain awkward.  
> Oh and jealousy arises.

**Chapter Three— Balk**

In hindsight, Lincoln should have pulled his dad aside to explain without the extra set of ears. After all, it wasn't everyday Mayor Meanswell raised his voice. Any other time this would have been a sight to see however looking at the shocked expressions from each occupant at the dinner table, Lincoln instantly regretted opening his big mouth. Especially because Stephanie seemed to fold in her seat as she rapidly switched her attention from him to her uncle. If anything, Lincoln mostly regretted that it had to happen in front of his baby cousin. With that in mind, the teen hastily stood from his seat, his cheeks burning in embarrassment as he quickly made his way to his father's seat and pulled the man up from his chair and dragging him to the other room.

"We really shouldn't do this here," he mumbled as the two scurried out of the room, Lincoln practically dragging the elder man as they did so. The two then stood awkwardly for a moment, letting silence befall them as they considered each other critically.

"How—" "Look—" They both started to say. Lincoln sighed before gesturing his father to go first. He thought maybe if he could answer the other man's questions first, the whole process would end quickly and then they could go back and apologize. Only, his father decided to completely skip his original line of thought all together. Now Mayor Meanswell was not a particularly intimidating man; his whole demeanor screamed friendly. However, Milford Meanswell was still his father and no matter how nice a parent was, to the child their parents will alway be the most intimidating fixture in their lives.

Milford seemed to skip right over the pleasantries and went straight for the most difficult part of the whole conversation and every time Lincoln tried to add his two cents, the other man would steamroll over him and continue his tirade; never pausing long enough for for anything other than catching his own breath. Absently, Lincoln heard Sportacus from the other room talk, probably to distract Stephanie and Bessie but his dad's voice grew steadily louder and drowned him out.

Lincoln prided himself in being pretty patient. He was okay with waiting for his father to finish but with every passing comment, Lincoln found himself getting angrier and angrier. Which wasn't to say he wanted to blow up on the man, on the contrary, the teen was trying hard to quell his own anger. But the other man just kept going and going until finally Lincoln couldn't take it anymore. He was about to turn away from the other man and storm away but something his dad was saying made him go completely still.

"...I can't afford to keep you in school!—" Everything that came after that faded away into the background as Lincoln looked back at his father with fury in his eyes.

"Wait!" the young man shouted, shocking the man into silence. "You think I came here to ask you to pay my tuition? Do you really think I'd stoop that low?" Lincoln fumed as he began to pace the room, shaking his head at the mere thought of his father believing he would use him that way.

"Well why else would you be here?" the man replied.

"To see you! To see Steph and Bessie! What the hell, man!" Lincoln screeched.

"Language!"

"To hell with that! I haven't seen you in over two years! I haven't asked anything from you for longer than that and you think I want to start now? I didn't come here to beg for help or for—for money!"

"Oh, please, Lincoln," Milford said rolling his eyes. "No need to be so—"

"Stop right there! Why are you acting like after all these years of you acting so damn clueless all the time that I'd need you to help me in anyway? I don't need your help and I can take care of my own problems by myself! I've been doing just fine on my own and not once have I asked you for cash or— or anything!"

"Then why are you here?" Milford yelled back.

"Because I missed you!" Lincoln shouted in equal volume before sneering down at the man. "Though now that I'm here, I can't imagine why." Now, Lincoln surely didn't mean that. The look of dismay that crossed the elder man's face made Lincoln feel incredibly guilty that he would go so far however his pride and the anger that still lingered in his system would not back down. So instead of apologizing the teen instead turned away and stalked out the door after grabbing the duffle he had left at the front door. He heard his father calling out to him from the front step but Lincoln was determined not to look back; all his bravado would probably melt away if he did.

He didn't bother going to the driver side and opted to enter his van through the passenger's side and moving over to sit in front of the steering wheel. Lincoln ignored the loud clang his bag made when he threw it in the back and started the engine. He didn't even wait for the car to heat up before tearing away from the driveway at a sudden speed that caused his body to flatten against the seat. Though he was incredibly angry, Lincoln wasn't stupid. He made sure to keep a relatively safe speed as he drove away from the house in case any neighborhood kids or whoever was out this late were walking about.

Unfortunately, before he could make it out of LazyTown's perimeter, the engine to the van sputter to a stop. Lincoln groaned as he slammed his hands on the wheel before glancing at the fuel gauge. The red line moved back and forth near the middle marker which greatly confused Lincoln. The teen tapped on the gauge and nearly yelled out in frustration when the line quickly fell to empty. Lincoln roughly set the van in park in the middle of the street and dropped his head on the edge of the steering wheel. He had thought he fixed that. After a few moments of consideration, Lincoln sat up, removed his sunglasses and rubbed a hand on his forehead. Nothing seemed to be going right for him today.

A knock on the window beside him startled him out of his pity party, causing him to jump before turning wild eyes at the sudden intrusion. Lincoln sighed before rolling down the window before nodding at Sportacus who looked a little ashamed at himself for startling him.

“...What’s up, Sport?” Lincoln said after a few moments of silence. Sportacus didn’t say anything but stepped back and gestured with a small nod. With another sigh, the teen unbuckled himself before leaning out over the open window and sliding to the ground headfirst. The young man didn’t bother standing and just laid down on his front. “I really messed things up, didn’t I?”

Lincoln heard Sportacus sigh and fidget in place making him grin slightly. Stephanie had told him how the hero couldn’t stand staying in one place for too long. So with another sigh, the young man begrudgingly stood and faced the man with a bored stare. The streetlight above them flickered but Lincoln could see Sportacus’ wide, surprised gaze on his face.

“...What happened,” the other man gasped as he reached to move the fringe away from Lincoln’s face. The young man flinched back and cursed as he hurriedly searched for his glasses before slamming them back on his face. “Lincoln?”

“Look, dude, don’t worry about it, ok?” Lincoln muttered as he walked over to the front of the van and hopped on the hood. “It doesn’t even hurt that much anymore.” Lincoln knew his face looked pretty messed up. The black eye was pretty bad and had hurt whenever he touched it but the pain there didn’t compare to the jagged gash that settled over his brow and stretched up to his hairline. The stitches would have to remain for another few weeks and the bruising was supposed to lighten up during that time, too. However, bruises always tended to take longer to heal on him so Lincoln knew he’d be sporting those bad boys for a long time to come.

“How?” Sportacus gaped. Lincoln sighed and turned away from the other male before shrugging.

“...bar fight,” he replied lowly. Sportacus expression turned stern as he crossed his arms and stared back at him unamused. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

“No you don’t,” Sportacus finally agreed after a tense pause. “But you could talk to me.”

“Look, man,” Lincoln bit out angrily. “I get you got this good guy act going and I see it works well with everyone in this town. That’s cool and all but I’m not like my cousin and those kids that worship the air you breath so I’d appreciate it if you would back off.” With every biting word the younger male said, Lincoln moved closer to Sportacus until they were standing just a few inches from each other. Lincoln even mentally patted himself on the back for standing his ground. Though Sportacus was a huge softie, he was still ript and could probably rip his head off his shoulders if he wanted to; his biceps were probably bigger than his head, too. Lincoln absentmindedly noticed that Sportacus stood at a similar height to himself but that was where the physical similarities ended.

"Of course," Sportacus agreed as he raised his hands in a placating manner. "I understa—"

"No you don't," Lincoln said cutting him off. "You don't understand anything so why don't we forget all about this conversation and part ways, eh? Besides, it's almost time for your bed time," the young man said in a condescending tone. Sportacus reluctantly stepped back and nodded before walking away. Walking, not flipping. It wasn't until the other man was gone when Lincoln began to feel the stirrings of guilt. Even though Lincoln had only known Sportacus for a few hours, he had quickly come to realize that he never walked to places, only flipped and flopped in some pretty ingenious ways. He must have really upset the guy if he just simply walked away.

Lincoln figured he'd just apologize in the morning when he saw him next. But right now, Lincoln had to figure out how to move his van from the middle of the street. Fortunately, this was not the first time that his baby died on him like this. His van may say it was empty but Lincoln knew if he waited a bit, maybe half-an-hour or so, it would turn on and move for him, though only a few feet; just enough for him to pull over so he wasn't totally parked in the middle of the street. 

Once the van was safely out of the way, Lincoln felt exhaustion return to him. He had been so excited to sleep in a real bed so the fact that he had to return to his little nest in the back of his van was more than a little disappointing. But, it couldn't be helped. Lincoln spent a few minutes straightening up the cab, neatly folding his clothes the best his sleep addled mind could and stacked a few leather cases to a corner where they mostly sat out of the way. He then stacked the few blankets he had on top of each other and climbed on top of them before shutting the sliding door closed. It may not have been the most comfortable arrangements but Lincoln used to it. He had, after all, been living like this for while now. 

The next morning proved to be just as annoyingly cheerful as the previous day. Lincoln had always been an early riser, which had later proved to be a useful trait as he had grown older. Lincoln always loved to see the beginnings of the day and always watched the sun rise whenever he was able. On few occasions, he even roused his old roommates with the help of his bugle when he desired the company to watch the morning pass on. They always hated when he did that but the little prank alway managed to make Lincoln laugh for hours.

Today, Lincoln figured that he would forgo the bugle. Instead, Lincoln stuffed a fresh pair of clothes and some toiletries in his now empty school bag and all but ran to Bessie's house. It was still early morning by the time he finally reached the front door but Lincoln knew the woman was an early riser herself. The young man glanced around the area before knocking on the door. It didn't take very long for aunt Bessie to answer the door with the beginnings of a greeting forming on her lips. 

"O-oh, Lincoln," She nearly shouted as she pulled the young man in for a hug. "I was so worried! come in, come in!" 

"Morning, aunt Bessie," Lincoln said with a laugh as he stepped inside. "No need to worry for me!" 

"No need to- Oh, honey. You know I'm always worried about you," Bessie said with a small laugh before turning a critical eye over him. "Especially after what happened last night!" Lincoln flinched and shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. He really didn't want to talk about that right now.

"I'm sorry, aunt Bessie, but can we not talk about that right now?" he said. Lincoln then unshouldered his backpack and showed it to her with a weak grin. "I was actually hoping if I could borrow your bathroom for a bit." Bessie laughed and shook her head, her eyes shining with fondness as she stepped aside and gestured to the hallway. 

"Of course, sweetie. You know the way," she said before she stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. "Lincoln. You know you can always come to me if you need help, right?" Lincoln froze and looked down at the floor before nodding his head slightly. The woman smiled and clapped her hands as she shooed the young man to the restroom before telling him that she was going to start breakfast and reminding him to join her once he was done.

The warm shower was like a blessing to Lincoln. It had felt like forever since he actually had a chance to take his time to shower. God knows how long it's been since he used warm water. Even though Lincoln wanted nothing more than to linger, he knew he couldn't stay long. He had things to do and if he did take as long as he wanted, he'd fear what his aunt Bessie would do. Lincoln grimaced at the thought of the woman barging in when he was in there. It wouldn't be the first time she had done so when she feared that he had accidentally drowned himself in the tub somehow. Though in fairness that incident had happened when he was about four-years-old. But the fear was still there.

Breakfast with Bessie was heartwarming. Bessie didn't bring up the argument with his father at all and instead kept the conversation focused on his time at school. Lincoln made sure to tell the woman about his favorite memories and about all the great people he had met. Lincoln was in the middle of telling her about an incident that turned into a sort of inside joke between him and his friends when a sudden knock at the door interrupted him.

"—ok so here Johnny and I were, in our halloween costumes, surrounded by bikers when Johnny suddenly throws the fliers and books it down the main stage!" Lincoln and Bessie shared and rumbling laugh before the woman held a hand at Lincoln to pause his story so she could answer the door. Lincoln shook his head and wiped the tears from his eyes before standing and collecting the plates on the table. Just as he was about to turn on the tap, a familiar and very much unwanted voice rang through the air.

"Miss Busybody!" Lincoln heard from the front room. The teen cringed and quickly set out to rinse the dishes before setting them inside the dishwasher. After that was done, Lincoln quickly grabbed his bag and walked to the mainroom. Lincoln took a deep breath and finally walked out of the room and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Thanks alot for breakfast, aunt Bessie!" Lincoln said effectively cutting his father off from whatever he was about to say. Whoops. Lincoln resolutely did not look in the Mayor's direction and kept all his attention on the woman who frowned at his childish behavior. Luckily, the woman was understanding enough not to comment on it.

"No, thank you for joining me, Linc!" she said as she pulled the teen into a hug. "And remember you are welcomed back here anytime! And next time, don't be shy to bring your laundry. I know you have some stashed away in the van of yours." Lincoln laughed and told the woman he would definitely take her up on that offer. Lincoln quickly glanced at his dad and frowned when he noticed the man had looked like he wanted to say something but the vindictive part of Lincoln didn't want to hear anything the man wanted to say. Instead the teen loudly said his goodbyes to Bessie and ran out the door and away from the house. He was suddenly looking forward to tutoring Sportacus in baseball again. 

Which reminded him that he had to go apologize to him as well. Dang.

After dropping off his bag in his van, Lincoln leisurely made his way over to the section of the park they had played on the day before. From the looks of it, Lincoln managed to beat the others there. With a shrug the young man glanced at his wrist to check the time and frowned at the fuzzy orange wristband that stared back at him instead of his watch. That particular habit was hard to break, it seemed. According the the time on his phone, the kids and Sportacus should be meeting up soon.

Lincoln sat on one of the benches while fiddling with some of the applications on his phone. Thankfully the battery was almost fully charged thanks to the car charger one of his roommates gave him a while back. Finding an outlet and sticking around long enough for his battery to charge seemed impossible. And thank you Pixel and his open Wi-fi network! It had felt like forever since Lincoln had been able to connect to the internet! Lincoln made a mental note to ask Pixel if he was cool with him mooching off his network and if he minded if he could sync his laptop up to it as well. He may as well keep working while he was stuck in LazyTown.

When Stephanie and Ziggy finally showed, Lincoln was deeply engrossed on his screen. He had moved from just sitting on the bench to laying on it with his legs hanging over one of the arm rests. This bench could very easily be one of the most comfortable benches Lincoln had ever sat on. Lincoln smiled at the two kids in greeting but frowned when he noticed the distressed looks on their faces. The young man hastily put his phone away and gave the two children his full attention.

"Do you think he's still at home?" he heard Stephanie say, her voice worried as she paced in front of him. "I mean, I wonder if he got my letter!"

"Hey, Steph, Ziggy!" Lincoln called, effectively stopping his cousin from her pacing. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Lincoln!" Stephanie cried with a smile before her expression turned one into worry once more. "It's Sportacus!"

"Sportacus? Is he ok?" Lincoln asked, his stomach clenching in worry.

"He's not here!" Ziggy cried. "He's always here and today he's late!" Lincoln looked at the two kids and sighed in relief.

"Is that all?" Lincoln said as he sat back down on the bench, only this time he sat on the edge of the bench with his legs resting on the seat.

"Sportacus is never late!" Stephanie continued.

"Aw, come on, kid!" Lincoln said, smiling down at the two. "I'm sure he's fine. Sportacus will be here any minute! You never know, he may be caught up doing some hero'ing around LazyTown." Stephanie and Ziggy brightened considerably at the prospect and thankfully accepted his answer. Though Lincoln was still a little worried, he made sure not to show it so as not to frighten the kids. Thankfully, their worries were unfounded as the man in question jumped over the low fence behind them.

"It's him!" Stephanie cried. The three greeted the newcomer happily but grew confused when the man didn't respond. Lincoln even stood on the bench and hovered his arms over the other man in case he fell over as Sportacus looked like he was about to tip over at any moment.

"SPORTACUS!" Ziggy shouted which worked in waking the man up.

"Huh?" The hero muttered as he swung around, nearly hitting the little boy in the face with some tube thing before smiling dreamingly at them. "... I got your letter."  

"Are you okay, Sportacus?" Ziggy asked. Sportacus nodded slightly before jumping over the edge of the bench and sitting down.

"I'm fine," he yawned as he stretched his limbs out. Lincoln watched in amusement as the two kids bickered to each other before turning back to the other adult. Sportacus had the same look he got when he stayed up late studying for finals.

"I'm sorry," Sportacus said with another yawn before pointing at the sky. "Pillow!" Lincoln gaped as a fluffy white pillow fell from the sky and landed on the bench in front of Sportacus. The man they laid down, his head resting comfortably on said pillow before quickly falling to sleep. The young man carefully jumped off the bench, taking care as to not jostle the sleeping man before looking back up at the sky for whatever had dispensed the pillow. With a grin, Lincoln cupped his hands over his mouth and took a deep breath.

"Money!" He tried but deflated when nothing seemed to happen. Lincoln then shrugged after seeing the look the two kids were sending him. "What? It was worth a try." He grummbled. The kids shook their heads before turning their attention back to the sleeping man. Lincoln couldn't help but laugh as he watched the kids try to wake up the man curled up on the bench. They shouted his name, in varying levels of volume before deflating in disappointment when the man would not rouse from his slumber. Taking pity, Lincoln told the kids to follow him as he ran over to his van that was luckily parked very near to where they were sitting.

Throwing open the back doors, Lincoln deftly jumped inside and pulled out some of the leather cases from the far corner of the van. Lincoln then instructed the kids to help him carry the equipment back to the bench where Sportacus laid with a grin. The kids asked a bunch of questions but Lincoln didn't answer them. And it turned out he didn't have to once he unpacked one of the objects from it's case. He helped Stephanie strap on the snare drum to her body before letting the little girl loose. He cringed a little at the force his cousin used when hitting the drum but he didn't stop her; She seemed to have fun playing it and he didn't want to take that away from her.

When Lincoln noticed that wasn't working, he quickly began to unpack his base drum before letting Ziggy have a go at banging the thing. The young man couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard as he watched the small blond boy bang on the drum;The force of his drumming caused Ziggy to actually vibrate. Maybe one day Lincoln could start a drum line with Ziggy on the bass and Steph on snare. It'd be hilarious. Not one to loose out on the fun, Lincoln unpacked the cymbals and began to play them along with the random beat the kids had made up. Just as he was about to set the cymbals down and reach for the sax, Stephanie set down her drum sticks and groaned in dismay.

"This is never gonna work!" She cried. The kids looked disappointed as they helped him put the stuff away. He was as well but for a whole different set of reasons, but he didn't let it show. Once they made it back to Sportacus still sleeping form, Stephanie turned to them with a determined look on her face.

"Okay! Plan B!" She cried. Ziggy cheered and nodded while Lincoln smiled and sat on the vacant space on the bench. "We need help!"

"Yeah, we sure do," Ziggy sighed before looking up happily. "Oh, I know! Let's call Sportacus! He always helps!" Lincoln snorted in amusement at the adorable display of the two kids before leaning back on the bench. The two then figured that Pixel would know what to do and ran off to his house after Lincoln told them he'd stay back and watch after the sleeping hero.

It didn't take long for the kids to return with Pixel in tow. Though the kind of help the two thought of concerned Lincoln but he didn't voice it as he helped strap the hero into the machine Pixel had been in the day before. Plus part of him really wanted to see exactly how this whole thing would turn out. That and he wanted to see if he could convince Pixel to have Sportacus dance to the Pinocchio song.

"Okay, Pixel!" Stephanie shouted once Sportacus was secure. However everyone groaned when they noticed Pixel snoring. "Oh, he's asleep again."

"Wow," Lincoln muttered to Ziggy as they approached the other boy. "Is he asleep standing up? Pretty cool." Ziggy giggled a little under his breath before he and Stephanie began to call out Pixel's name in attempt to wake the kid up. Deciding to just stand back and let the kids do their thing, Lincoln hopped on the low wall behind them and watch and intervene should they need it. He wanted to stop the kids once they started to push random buttons on Pixel's wrist computer but seeing as it was working, he decided not to. However, he did jump off the wall and ran towards Sportacus and the machine once he noticed the kids lost control of the Remote Controlly 6000.

"Guys!" Lincoln shouted as he tried to pull the machine back and away from a tree. The machine, however, proved to be very strong as it began to drag him and Sportacus towards the tree. Though he did slow it down considerably. "Do something!"

Just as Sportacus was about to run head first into the tree, the machine luckily stopped. Letting out a sigh in relief, the young man began to unhook the still sleeping hero from the device before dragging him back over to the bench. Once Sportacus was set down, Lincoln began to turn away but grunted as a pair of heavy arms wrapped around his waist before pulling him off his feet. The teen's face became a bright red as he tried to pull himself out of Sportacus' grip but the other man just held on tighter and snuggled into his back. Now laying completely on the hero, Lincoln called for the kid's attention so they could help him out of the awkward position he was in.

"Alright, guys!" Lincoln shrieked. "Pixel will go to bed early tonight. Awesome. Now help me!"

The kids snorted with laughter as they ran over and helped pry Sportacus' arms off of him before pulling him away. Now that he was out of the bear trap, Lincoln could see the funny side and laughed along with the kids, which somehow startled the hero enough to wake him up.

("Really, man?")

Though Sportacus and Pixel were pretty tired from their lack of sleep, they still participated as much as they could for the competition the next day. While not as active as the day before, Lincoln found himself having just as much fun; only this time he sensed the urgency coming from the kids as they helped Pixel and Sportacus practice. Lincoln was confident Sportacus would beat Robbie, even in his sleep deprived state but no matter what he or Sportacus said would calm the kids. Instead he put on a show of coaching Sportacus, mirroring the way his coach would, which strangely put them at ease.

With coaching and the kids worrying, Lincoln could not find the time to properly apologize to Sportacus for being such an ass the night before. It was like every time he saw an opening to talk to the other man without the kids around, one of them would pop up and pull either of their attentions away. It sucked but Lincoln was secretly relieved at putting that conversation off. He even had a chance to talk to the man when everyone broke off for lunch but Lincoln chickened out last minute and ran off with Ziggy to find some 'Sportscandy'.

Once the day finally drew to an end and Lincoln was curled up in his van for bed, he realized that he had a total of eighteen opportunities to apologize. Lincoln never did well with guilt so the teen ended up staring at the ceiling of his van for a long while as the feeling consumed him. He ended up passing out around midnight, shivering at the sudden cool, summer breeze that swept through LazyTown.

The next morning, or rather afternoon as he had slept in until noon, was spent in the same fashion as the day before. A quick visit to Bessie's place, this time with a duffle bag full of his laundry before having a light lunch, avoiding his dad (who looked as though he wanted to approach him), and running over to the field where the others were waiting. Unfortunately, whatever had been keeping Sportacus up the other day consisted as he was once again sprawled over the bench, snoozing the day away. Just as Lincoln was going to try and wake the other man up, with a long stick mind you, Robbie showed up, laughing as he practically pranced around the field.

"Play ball!" the man shouted as he finally made his way over to the small group. "Oh, looks like someone didn't get their beauty sleep!" Lincoln snorted but otherwise kept quiet as he sat down heavily by Sportacus' feet. He wasn't feeling up to it that day, so it seemed. He was just there to see how the game turned out before running back to Bessie's to finish his laundry. Lincoln knew there was no way Sportacus would lose but the curious part of him wanted to see how everything would play out. After watching Robbie urge the kids to take their positions, Lincoln was startled when he caught a sudden movement from the corner of his eye. Glancing back at Sportacus, Lincoln felt himself sit up in slight awe as the other man looked at him and winked before feigning sleep again. The laugh that escaped him startled the others on the field but Lincoln just waved them off and covered it with a cough. Who knew the hero had a jokester side to him?

Lincoln snickered behind his hand as he watched Robbie strut confidently over to home base and laughed even harder when Pixel's first pitch zoomed right past the man. Robbie sent him a mean look but Lincoln just waved from his seat beside the sleeping hero. The second pitch went about the same and Lincoln couldn't help but jump from his seat and cheer for Pixel. The kid really grew in the two days he had met him. His pitches were pretty good for a kid who hadn't known how to properly throw a ball until a few days ago. Another look from Robbie only made Lincoln want to cheer louder but he didn't want to get on the man's bad side this early. So instead, Lincoln sat back down, sending Robbie an innocent look before the man turned back to Pixel. Robbie, surprisingly, managed to hit the last ball.

Even from his seat a few feet away from the batter, Lincoln could see the surprise filter across the grumpy man's face before he schooled it into one of glee as he pulled out a tape measure to measure the distance from the ball to plate was. It must have only been a few inches at most but Lincoln whooped and cheered all the same. Even if Robbie's intentions were not pure, the man had managed to hit the ball and Lincoln knew Robbie was shocked he managed it. He knew how great it felt when people cheered for someone's accomplishments and it felt right to be that person for Robbie at that moment.

Lincoln smiled at the weird expression Robbie sent his way but didn't comment on it as he watched the other man walk over and pull Sportacus up and off the bench. Lincoln would have stood up to help but watching Robbie struggle was just too funny and he was feeling petty so he just sat back and watched as Sportacus was propped up at the base. 

"Oh Robbie," Pixel snickered as he passed the man the purple softball Robbie had given Sportacus the other day. "Don't forget this."

"Um, thank you," Robbie muttered, staring at the ball in confusion before looking back up. "I won't."

The first two pitches flew straight past Sportacus who was still 'asleep'. Stephanie and Ziggy pleaded to the man to wake up as Robbie danced in victory at the mount. Looking over at Pixel, who only smirked and stared at Robbie with his arms crossed, Lincoln knew the end result was going to be hilarious. And, boy was it. Right after Robbie threw the final pitch, Sportacus leapt to attention and knocked the park right out of the park, or out of the town really. The kids and Robbie watched it sail overhead, their mouths hanging open in shock. All the while Lincoln was dying on the floor, his face bright red as he laughed and laughed at the expressions on their faces.

"That was great!" Sportacus finally said, bringing everyone out of their stupor and causing Lincoln to have another fresh round of laughter. The kids cheered as they crowded around Sportacus, each giving the man their own congratulations. From his position on the ground, Lincoln noticed Robbie throw his hat on the ground before leaving the field, his shoulders slumped downward as he did so. As the laughter edged away, Lincoln shakingly stood before walking over to the hat on the ground and picking it up. He'll return it to Robbie later once he got over the loss to Sportacus. After shoving the cap into his back pocket, Lincoln turned to the others but froze, his smile falling off his face.

Sometime while he had his back turned, the kids and Sportacus began to set up for another game of ball. However, what made him still was when he noticed Stephanie singing that silly song they made up a few years ago. Seeing Stephanie singing the song didn't bother him at all, in fact it made him happy to know she still remembered it! It was the fact that she was singing and dancing to it with _Sportacus_ that made his stomach settle uncomfortably. Dimly, Lincoln knew it was a dumb thing to get upset over but it still upset him to see his baby cousin doing their thing with a near stranger! That was their song. 

Lincoln sent the two a smile, which was more of a grimace really, when they looked over at his direction once they finished singing the song. with a heavy heart, Lincoln declined playing with them and slowly trudged over to Bessie's using the excuse that he had laundry to do. As he made his way over in a near snail's pace, Lincoln's frown had returned. He tried not to feel angry over the whole thing but in the end, as he was folding his now clean clothes, all he felt was misery at the thought that his baby cousin had found someone to replace him. Now wasn't that a sobering thought? 


End file.
